Unexpectedly, Received a 98k bring back that was my grandfathers

[brunnels]

Hello everyone, i am new here but plan to stick around and learn alot of history. I have been wanting a K98 for a while, i submitted my C&R license a couple weeks back with the intention of collecting a few Mausers. A couple days ago i got an unexpected call from my brother that my grandmother had found some guns of my grandfather who had passed away some years ago. Turns out one was a Mauser he had brought back from the war, you couldn't believe my excitement. I have researched and read alot the past couple days and have learned my Mauser is a BYF 44 F built in Mauser AG Oberndorf. Every serial number i can find on the rifle matches, and the bore seems to be in good shape after i cleaned it. The rifle has sat in an attic for who knows how many years, i would like to protect the metal and maybe clean it up without destroying any character. I don't want to restore or refinish, but what is the best way to protect the rifle and prevent any future damage as i plan on having this rifle in the family for many years. Thanks for reading, i hope to see you guys around alot.

 

[jbmauser]

That is an absolutely fantastic looking byf 44 f block. I wouldn't do a thing to it other than oiling the metal carefully.

 

[Warrior1354]

Good for you buddy glad you started your collection with a nice bring-back K98k Mauser and it was your Grandfathers too an even bigger plus. Agree with jbmauser oil the metal, clean your bore for storage, and a nice dry place for storage prefer a safe in my opinion just make sure to get a golden rod for it. Hope this rifle remains in your family for many years to come. And you may find the bring-back papers too that would be a big plus with this rifle.

 

[stcappelli]

Very sharp rifle! The receiver almost looks like it had a high-polish finish on it... Enjoy!

 

[CanadianAR]

Great luck! Nice looking rifle. He didn't touch a thing on it which is the way you want it.

 

[Rook16]

Good for you buddy glad you started your collection with a nice bring-back K98k Mauser and it was your Grandfathers too an even bigger plus. Agree with jbmauser oil the metal, clean your bore for storage, and a nice dry place for storage prefer a safe in my opinion just make sure to get a golden rod for it. Hope this rifle remains in your family for many years to come. And you may find the bring-back papers too that would be a big plus with this rifle.

Totally agree with Warrior1354 on the care for your new k98. And the fact that it was brought back by your grandfather is awesome. I think it's great when there is family interest in the historical pass. I also appreciate you wanting to take proper care of the rifle by first asking for advise before maybe doing something really stupid and destroying a piece of history. Thanks for sharing.

 

[itwillis]

Wow! You can't beat THAT way to acquire a nice rifle. Preserve and pass down. As much as some vets's families try to sell everything off I like it when stuff is kept in the family.

 

[brunnels]

Good for you buddy glad you started your collection with a nice bring-back K98k Mauser and it was your Grandfathers too an even bigger plus. Agree with jbmauser oil the metal, clean your bore for storage, and a nice dry place for storage prefer a safe in my opinion just make sure to get a golden rod for it. Hope this rifle remains in your family for many years to come. And you may find the bring-back papers too that would be a big plus with this rifle.

Thank you, yes i plan on keeping this rifle in the family for as many years as i am around. It would be neat to find the bring back papers but i am not really counting on it as my grandmother has moved a couple times, and most people in my family never even knew of these rifles she found.

Im definately going to buy a Golden Rod and keep this rifle in tip top shape to keep the condition the way it is.

I know this rifle is missing the Sight hood, and cleaning rod. I have found an original cleaning rod, but would you guys recommend me hunting down an original sight hood or would this be one of those instances i should just leave it. Other than the cleaning rod and maybe the sight hood i won't modify the rifle in any way, so no need to worry guys.

 

[GunKraut]

So here we have an unmolested true bring back, as pure as they get. Unless this rifle was shipped in a crate (in which case their should be capture papers) it doesn't support the bolt M/M stories about soldiers forced to remove the bolt when they boarded the ship and ending up with someone else's bolt when they disembarked. Any thoughts?

 

[brunnels]

So here we have an unmolested true bring back, as pure as they get. Unless this rifle was shipped in a crate (in which case their should be capture papers) it doesn't support the bolt M/M stories about soldiers forced to remove the bolt when they boarded the ship and ending up with someone else's bolt when they disembarked. Any thoughts?

Sorry guys, i will ask my Grandma and mom if they have any info on bringback papers, or any story on how he brought the rifle back, but that is one of those things they probably know next to nothing about.

 

[Rook16]

Wow! You can't beat THAT way to acquire a nice rifle. Preserve and pass down. As much as some vets's families try to sell everything off I like it when stuff is kept in the family.

It is awesome that this is being down. I've bought stuff at estate sales that I just can't believe are being sold off instead of not being passed down. I do realize that not every family has someone to maybe pass things on to, but if possible- it's where it best belongs. Of course, all of our collections may be a bit more modest if that were the case. And one more thing, besides having a really great K98, I'm pretty sure that your fifth picture will be showing up on the "Toe-Jam" thread!

 

[KDF82]

Fantastic start to collecting Mausers! I didn't get any of my grandpas trophies as they were gone by the time I was born. As others have wisely said, just oil the metal and keep it dry. If it were mine I'd locate an original sling, hood and cleaning rod. Hope you find the paper work as well..

 

[tsmgguy]

So here we have an unmolested true bring back, as pure as they get. Unless this rifle was shipped in a crate (in which case their should be capture papers) it doesn't support the bolt M/M stories about soldiers forced to remove the bolt when they boarded the ship and ending up with someone else's bolt when they disembarked. Any thoughts?

A troop ship might have been carrying upwards of 5,000 small arms of various types. It makes no sense to remove and store the bolts of war trophies when the owner probably also had a fully functional Garand near at hand.

It was generally forbidden to have ammunition during travel or transport, though. Pre-embarcation inspections would have been looking for various items that were considered to be contraband, including ammo and alcohol. These inspections were generally through, and penalties could be stiff. Officer's baggage was not inspected. Officers brought home whatever they wanted, and required no authorization to acquire and keep firearms.

The bolts got mismatched at capture. Some commands had polices that bolts be removed, with them going into one pile while rifles went into another. Souvenir hunters took a rifle and a bolt, and generally didn't care whether the numbers matched or not.

 

[K98 Man]

Golden Rod???

 

[pzjgr]

So here we have an unmolested true bring back, as pure as they get. Unless this rifle was shipped in a crate (in which case their should be capture papers) it doesn't support the bolt M/M stories about soldiers forced to remove the bolt when they boarded the ship and ending up with someone else's bolt when they disembarked. Any thoughts?

I would think nothing is universal, especially in the military....some ships may have required, some not, some capture piles may have made them take the bolts out, some not...

 

[Warrior1354]

Golden Rod???

Dehumidifier rod for a gun safe or a small storage room. Some protect up to 100 cubic feet or more.

 

[dave]

So here we have an unmolested true bring back, as pure as they get. Unless this rifle was shipped in a crate (in which case their should be capture papers) it doesn't support the bolt M/M stories about soldiers forced to remove the bolt when they boarded the ship and ending up with someone else's bolt when they disembarked. Any thoughts?

Never heard bolts were removed from bring backs on board ship, (that did happen in Japan I have read as well as grinding mums) most rifles were shipped home as the GI could not be caring an extra rifle around with him. A lot of GI's attained rifles behind the lines from piles of captured rifles. This is where bolts were removed and separated, 'sometimes'. Every commander did things differently. There was no standard practice! A lot of parts were mixed when a bunch of GI's got together and packed their rifles for shipment. Many duffle cuts were made to fit rifles in the cardboard tube tank shells came in. These last three from a 3rd. Army tank man I worked with, I bought his rifle. There just was no standard procedure that would fit all situations.
And even in the case of Japan, most rifles came back with matched bolts, even tho they are all bring backs. Go figure!
When I shipped to Korea in 1954 a guy with us took a Luger with him, he got papers showing it was personal property before we left so he could bring it back to US. He had it in his 'carry on' and he showed it around in our bunk area.

 

[DoubleApexCa]

It is to refreshing to hear that it is being passed down to a new generation. Too many times such things end up being auctioned off instead of being passed on to the 'younglings'...

Congratulations on having a fine rifle.

G.

 

[agalland]

Been discussed here before...but currently i am not buying any of the usual legends.

 

[K98 Man]

Not to mis-direct this thread, but San Francisco harbor must be littered with WWII Japanese weapons. When my Dad was retuning to the States by troop transport, they were told to throw any "booty" over the side or face Court Martial while approaching the docks. Can you imagine what went over into the harbor?